Examples Of Materialism In Beowulf

Throughout time, people have focused on the more materialistic side of life, instead of the warmth and joy of a spiritual family life. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, the protagonist, Beowulf fights for greedy reasons. In this classic, Beowulf contests multiple monsters, for fame as well as gold. Beowulf wastes his time battling for materialistic goods and fame, but in the end realizes that they will not exist forever, like the family he could have started. Throughout the poem, Beowulf fights against monsters time after time for the treasures and gold rewarded after a victory. The king of the Danes, Hrothgar, recruits the most prestige fighter around, Beowulf, to save his people from Grendel, a monster that had been disturbing the peace for years. Beowulf agrees to fight Grendel, but his reasoning for fighting Grendel was not for the people, but for grasping the treasures rewarded. After defeating Grendel, as promised, the “Halfdane’s son presented Beowulf with a gold standard as a victory gift, an embroidered banner; also breast-mail and

While fame will stay around for a while, eventually even the most noble will be forgotten. As he laid suffering on the ground, Beowulf “gazed sadly at the gold” (2792) that Wiglaf had put in front of him. The material possessions that Beowulf had worked for his whole life were suddenly disappearing in front of his own eyes; he could not take them with him to the afterlife. Beowulf had no family, because he had spent his time trying to make himself known as a splendid human being, receiving riches on the way. As a result of Beowulf’s death, a new leader would have to come along for the Geats, but Beowulf had no family, so he had to pass the power on to someone else. Beowulf dies with his fame, but the materials he fought for his whole life, were now worth nothing to